Living With Anorexia Nervosa

9 Pages 2231 Words

They feel the need to control their weight not only by not eating, but also by any other means possible. Most athletes will exercise normally for a sport when given instructions by a coach. But a college female, for example, which is not an athlete, may run for five miles every day. This may increase if she feels she has eaten more than usual. Then the feeling of guilt may arouse because she thinks the running did not take care of what she has eaten. Anxiety and agitation are also present because of this guilt. Psychologically, the Anorexic suffers also with isolation from others, mood swings, insomnia, hyperactivity, low self esteem, fatigue, depression, self-hatred, and loss of sexual desire. All of these symptoms may come from the basic need for excessive exercise (Sherman & Thompson, 39).
The severe need to keep their body as thin as possible is so great that they will go to any lengths. Many Anorexics use diuretics and laxatives to rid the food they do eat, out of their bodies. They will cut their food into tiny pieces and eat as few as possible. I knew a girl who would chew up her food then spit it out in a plastic bag. She said she just needed to taste it and she would be all right. Anorexics are not repelled by food; in fact their minds are often dominated by thoughts of food. They are so consumed with the thought of food that they actually perform strange rituals. They may prepare enormous amounts of food and push it on others. Not eating any of the food itself, but watching extensively while everyone else eats the food. They will not let anyone leave until all the food is gone. In the case of one family the parents did not want to admit that their daughter had a disorder. They were for...